


bent

by sadasfrig



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Bisexual Mike Wheeler, F/F, F/M, Gay Mike Wheeler, Gay Will Byers, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21556051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadasfrig/pseuds/sadasfrig
Summary: It's been one month since El and Will left Hawkins, and Mike doesn't know who he is anymore.temporary hiatus because the author is invested in other projects at the moment.
Relationships: Eleven | Jane Hopper/Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Mike Wheeler & Eleven, Will Byers & Dustin Henderson & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 10
Kudos: 67





	1. Chapter 1

It's been one month since Eleven left with the Byers, and Mike doesn't know who he is anymore.

It had been so easy. Not six weeks ago he would've been able to say he had it all figured out. He had an awesome girlfriend who had awesome powers and best friends he's known practically his entire life. He knew what he liked, and he knew what he wanted to be and do. He liked science, robotics, arcade games, and spending time with his girlfriend.

Things are hard. Mike knew things would be hard, but it wasn't anything more than a nagging thought in the back of his mind. He doesn't have a girlfriend he can see everyday. That's the reason he can't stop thinking about her, right? That's only natural. She's his girlfriend, and he knows that he cares about her. He wants her to be happy.

_I love you, too._

He can remember the way she said it. Mike remembers the way it made him feel, and that's. That's the issue.

_It's not an issue, it's not a problem, because I love her too._

Mike is only sure of two things since they've left. One, he misses Eleven. She made sense. Two, he misses Will. He didn't make as much sense.

If anyone could help him, it'd be Will.

Will always knew what to say. He had this thing about him, and Mike didn't know anyone else who had this thing. It didn't have a word. Will was clever and witty and quiet and all the things that Mike needed him to be, and he said things that made Mike feel safe. Because Will would always be there.

Except for the times he wasn't, and Mike nearly lost his mind.

The only other times he could compare it to was believing El to be dead. When Will went missing, Mike had never felt worse. He was sick with worry, and there was nothing but fear on his mind. That was when he met El, and he wanted to keep her safe. Maybe by keeping her safe, it could somehow make up for the fact that Will was gone, and he probably wasn't coming back, is what Mike knew instinctively was his thought process back then.

There was no way to see the stars or the moon. The clouds were far too thick and were a blanket in the sky. It didn't matter to Mike, not really. They did usually make his problems seem a lot smaller than they really are, but it's fine. He's fine.

Mike knew he wasn't going to be able to fall asleep at a decent hour. He got out of bed, and he flinched when his bare feet touched the icy floor. He wanted water. He wanted food.

Without making too much of a noise, Mike made his way into the kitchen, and raided his cabinets. The thought of cereal and potato chips and last nights leftovers made his stomach growl and his mouth water.

He settled on chips. He didn't have the energy to heat anything up at the moment.

Lately, he didn't have much energy for anything.

His father sat in the La-Z-Boy chair, snoring as he usually did. Mike looked at him for a moment, feeling no emotion whatsoever towards the man. He took a swig of his Coke, and finally looked away.

Carefully, Mike walked down the creaky staircase that led to his basement, and it felt stuffy in the small room. It was almost a perfect example of the way his brain has been lately. The little tent area that Eleven had stayed in when they first met was still propped up against the wall. There were drawings taped everywhere in the room, all from Will.

Mike sat down in the tent, but not before grabbing the thick binder of drawings that he's collected over the years. Will was a very good drawer. He liked the ones with their D&D personas the most.

He ate the chips, careful not to get any crumbs on the ageing papers.

Mike fell asleep clutching the binder close to him as if it might disappear if he didn't have a good grasp on it.

"Mike."

"Hm."

"Mike!"

"What?" Mike shot up, glaring up into his sister's face. For a split second, he had a moment of panic as he realized he wasn't in his bedroom. "What do you want?"

Nancy just gave him a look, and Mike knew it well. Pity. That's all he's been getting lately. Why did everyone feel so damn sorry for him? He wasn't the only person who's been having it rough lately.

"You need to get out of the house. When was the last time you saw Lucas, or Dustin?"

Mike opened his mouth to argue, but he didn't have anything to say.

"Exactly. I saw them all out yesterday. Well, Dustin was with Steve, but," Nancy looked off to the side. "That's not really the point."

He felt empty at the thought of his friends being happy and acting normal with everything that had just happened. Why was it him that couldn't let go?

"I know you think you're helping, but you're making everything worse." Mike knew he was being an asshole, but the words that were coming out of his mouth couldn't be stopped. He wished Nancy would just go away. "Just leave me alone. I'll be fine."

Nancy was silent for a moment. "I was going to see Jonathan. I think you should come."

An odd feeling came over him. Going with her meant seeing Eleven. It meant seeing Will. He wasn't sure if he could.

Before he could speak, Nancy stopped him. "Get ready. Brush your hair." She looked at the half full bag of chips and empty Coke can that laid beside him. "And your teeth." She added.

Mike gave a little nod, and Nancy seemed pleased enough with him. He could hear her shoes tapping away up the stairs, and pretended not to hear the hushed whispers between Nancy and his mother.

_"He's going."_

_"I hope this helps. I haven't seen him like this since, well, ever."_

_"I think it will. Seeing El will get him back to normal."_

_"I'm not so sure it's her-"_

Mike stomped up the stairs loudly, effectively shutting everyone up. When he got to his room, he could feel tears building up in his eyes, and he didn't know why. There wasn't anything new that was sad. There wasn't any reason to be crying. Lucas and Dustin and Max certainly weren't crying anymore.

  
  
Except that his closest friend wasn't around to talk to about any of this stuff. And his girlfriend wasn't either, and worst of all, she loved him. And Mike didn't think he loved her back.

Mike looked at his reflection in the mirror. There was darkness under his eyes and there was no denying that they were dull. His mother had been saying he needed to talk about his feelings, but he wouldn't even know where to start. _Yeah, mom, I'm sad. I've been miserable since they left. Is that what you want to hear?_

Will would say something along the lines of, _I used to feel the same way. It gets better. I won't tell anybody if you don't want me to. You don't even have to tell me anything you don't want to. I'll understand._

Eventually Mike did do what Nancy requested him to do. Through the tiredness and sluggishness he was feeling there was something else - excitement. 

He would be seeing Eleven today, and things would start making sense again. His life would be back on track and when he sees her he'll realize that he actually loved her the same way all along, and all of the odd and confusing thoughts that plagued his mind would go away.

Nancy gave him a once over when he stepped into the car. He could feel her eyes staring him down, and it made his skin crawl.

"What?" He grumbled.

Nancy released a sigh. "Mike, you know I-"

"Yeah. I know. Let's just - go, okay?" Mike turned to the window, and was determined to tune out most of this car ride and anything else Nancy had to say. He stared out the window and hoped that he wouldn't see any of his friends, who could very well be walking or riding their bikes on the streets. Instead, he looked at the sky. It was light grey, cloudy, and he wished it would rain. 

"I was just going to say," Nancy started slowly. Mike resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but to his surprise Nancy pulled out a small water bottle from a bag that looked suspiciously like an insulated lunch box. "I got you some water." She handed it out to him.

Mike hated himself. He didn't hated feeling so _mean._ His family, they loved him and they just wanted to help him. It didn't matter if they could or not, at least they were _trying._ It was at times like these he truly wondered why anyone put up with him in the first place. 

"Thanks," He mumbled. "So are you and Jonathan going on a picnic, or something?" He said, trying to change the subject. 

"Heh, no," She gave a small laugh. "I keep water and snacks with me at all times. Especially on longer trips."

"That's pretty weird, Nancy."

"It isn't really. Barbara's," Nancy faltered a bit. "Her parent's always kept these things with them. I thought it was cool when I was ten."

Mike looked down at the cold bottle of water in his lap. 

The radio was playing a song he didn't recognize. Nancy's phone began to ring, and once she picked it up he recognized Jonathan's voice. He didn't mind it, which surprised him.

The song drifted over him, and it reminded of the type that Will would listen to. Mike pretended that Will was listening to it at this moment, and it relaxed him. He could almost forget that he wasn't actually there.

He didn't realize he had fallen asleep until Nancy woke him up. 

Mike blinked his eyes, the sun blinding them. 

"We're here." 

They were parked in front of a pale yellow house with chipped paint on it's sides and no porch. The gutters were overflowing with leaves and small twigs, and an old, faded brick fireplace stuck out on the side. 

Mike felt his hands begin to sweat. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. 

_Yes, you do._

"Alright," Nancy gave him a small smile. "Let's go."

Mike nodded, and the two siblings stepped out of the small car. 

_She's going to want me to say it back._

Together, they walked up to the little house, knocked, and waited.


	2. Chapter 2

The door swung open halfway, revealing the ever weary face of Joyce Byers.

Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and her eyes widened as soon as she saw them.

"Nancy! Mike! Hi," Joyce opened the door fully for them to enter. "Jonathan said you'd be showing up."

There was a hustling of heavy footsteps pounding on the floor as Jonathan ran up to the door, his hair in the same state of chaos as his mother's. A toothbrush hung in his hand.

"Nancy, what're you doing here?" Jonathan asked, his face turning red. "Not that I'm not happy you're here, or anything, but it's - oh, my god, it's 10! Nevermind."

Nancy patted his shoulder, smiling and saying nothing as she walked into the house. 

Mike followed her, hands in his pockets and head bowed. His heart was racing still and he had no clue why.

"Mom? Who's here?" The familiar voice made it's way to Mike's ears, and he finally looked up.

"Mike." Will looked at him in disbelief before breaking out into a huge grin.

Mike couldn't stop himself from laughing and smiling along with him, all of his fears and worries melting away as Will hugged him tightly.

"What are you doing here? How are you here?" Will's smile was warm, his eyes bright. Mike hadn't seen him like this in nearly three years, and it hit him suddenly how much he missed this Will.

"Nancy drove me over." Mike told him. "How have you been?"

"Alright." Will shrugged, his grin never leaving his face.

"Mike!"

Her soft voice cut him. Mike jerked his head sharply towards her, taking in her appearance.

Her hair was a bit longer than it was when he had last seen it. She was wearing pajama pants and a large T-shirt that he thinks might've belonged to Jonathan.

She had dark circles under her eyes, and his heart panged with guilt.

"Hey, El," He said, shooting a glance at Will.

Will's demeanor seemed to have changed drastically. His smile wasn't gone, but it was small and somewhat forced. He was staring at the floor, and a hand was scratching at the back of his neck.

He stepped away from Mike, and more than anything Mike wanted to reach out and grab his arm and say, _Please don't go. Don't leave me alone._

El had grabbed his hand though, and he wasn't able to, not that he could've mustered up the courage anyway.

"I've missed you." She smiled sweetly, and kissed him on the lips.

Mike forgot to close his eyes, and realized this almost too late, but closed them right before she opened her own.

_I'm lying_ , Mike thought as she pulled away and dragged him into the kitchen. _I'm such a liar_.

Joyce pulled out a sack of flour from a cabinet and sat it on the counter where an arrangement of other ingredients already were. There was a carton of eggs, a carton of milk, chocolate chips, among other smaller boxes and containers of things Mike didn't recognize.

"You like cookies, right, Mike?" Joyce gave a breathless laugh, flour somehow already on her face. "Of course you do. I've known you since you were six."

"Cookies sound great, Ms. Byers." Mike said, El around his arm.

"Would you like to help?"

"Uh," Mike struggled with words, bring up his hand to scratch as neck.

"Mom, seriously?" Will finally walked into the kitchen, saving Mike from whatever awkward excuse he would have had to tell.

"I was just asking!"

"I've never made cookies." El said quietly, eyeing the ingredients with interest.

"I could teach you."

El nodded, and finally let go of Mike to join Joyce in the kitchen.

"Mike?" She asked, obviously wanting him to help as well.

"Cooking isn't really my thing."

El gave him a look that he read as, You have to do this for me.

Mike was about to give in, but Will grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, I have something to show you." Will said, louder than necessary and Mike didn't need to think twice before following him into his room.

"What did you have to show me?" Mike said once Will shut his door.

"Nothing." He admitted, laughing a bit. "You were about to get dragged into baking cookies with my mother."

Mike laughed with him, collapsing back into Will's twin bed that he was so familiar with.

How many times had he done this? Lying on his back in Will's bed, looking at Will's ceiling, Will staring at him while Mike pretended not to notice? Countless. This familiarity is exactly what he needed. He felt better already.

"You've gotten taller." Will stated.

"I have?"

"Yeah, like a whole two inches taller."

"That's why you seemed so short."

Will chucked a pillow at him while Mike snorted.

"No, you look the same as always."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It's a good thing." Mike nodded. "So, uh, El looks different." He suddenly knew he needed to say it. It was more of a question, really.

He needed someone to tell him, _Yeah, I notice it, too! There's something different about her, I can't put my finger on it, but it's not just you._

"How so?"

There was an odd tone in his voice. Put on, fake, and Mike didn't know how to handle it.

"I don't know," He said quietly. "Her hair's longer."

"So is your's, by the way. You look like," Will drifted off. Before, it had been a joke among the four boys when Max wasn't around. _You smell like Billy. You look like Billy. You sound like Billy._

Then Billy died, and despite being an awful human being it still seemed wrong to speak ill of the dead.

"I look like Billy."

Will put the palms of his hands over his eyes, stretching out. "No. No. You have a mullet, is all I was saying."

Mike laughed a little. "So I look like Billy."

"No! I didn't say that." Will giggled. "You have a mullet, that doesn't mean you look like Billy!"

"I can't believe you're calling me Billy!" Mike teased.

"Shut up!" Will laughed, hitting Mike's leg with a stuffed frog that had been on the floor.

"You're making fun of my hair, Byers?" Mike grabbed his own pillow.

Will immediately shielded himself with the frog, already laughing so hard but now he's being chased, and he's about to get tickled or hit or something.

"No! Your hair is beautiful!"

Mike felt a strange feeling in his stomach, but got off his bed and pounded his feet over to where Will hid on the floor. He could see him watching him with one eye open.

Will grabbed another stuffed animal and threw it at Mike who swatted it away with his pillow.

He grabbed the frog and Will began to laugh wildly and uncontrollably, preparing to get attacked in the best way possible.

Mike pressed his pillow on Will's face, gently of course, and immediately could hear Will's muffled, I'm sorry!

He threw his pillow, and stared down at Will's breathless, smiling face. They were both laughing.

"That's what I thought." Mike finally said.

Will was smiling, but then his eyes widened and so did Mike's. It was then they both realized that Mike was on top of him, pinning him down and that their faces were very, very close.

Mike jumped up, clearing his throat. He held a hand out to Will, who took it.

Before an awkward silence could begin, Will said, "How are Lucas and Dustin? And Max?"

Mike's heart swelled. He missed him so much.

He always knew what to say.

* * *

A smell came wafting through the house and into Will's bedroom. They smelt it at the same time, and with one look, they simultaneously jumped up from their spots on the floor (they had been looking through old pictures) and followed the smell to the kitchen. 

El and Joyce were leaning back on the counter, chatting and drinking glasses of water. El had a sheepish expression and flour was on her arms and face. She seemed peaceful, and Mike was relieved. He wanted her to be happy, especially when he wasn't around. 

It's crazy how much a person's views and beliefs can change so quickly over a short period of time. Mike used to get _jealous_ when El spent more time with Max than him, and looking back he realized how ridiculous he was being. Nowadays, and _especially_ after El's declaration of love, he would have insisted that El spend her time with Max instead of him. 

"They'll be done in fifteen minutes, boys." Joyce grinned at them. "Why don't you all play a game?"

"I like games." El agreed, joining Mike and Will from where they stood.

"Monopoly?" Joyce suggested.

"That game takes hours to finish." Will said.

"Scrabble?"

"No," Will drifted off in thought.

"Why don't we go outside?" Mike suggested.

"It's raining." El pointed out, and when Mike looked out the window he saw that it was, in fact, raining. 

"I don't mind rain." 

When Will said it, Mike saw that he agreed with him. What's a little rain?

"Me neither." Mike said, and Eleven gave them both odd, confused looks.

Mike just smiled, and followed Will back to his room with Eleven in tow. Will began to rummage through his closet, pulling out thin jackets with hoods and throwing them on at their chests. 

"Should we bring anything?" 

Mike looked around and found a small pocketknife that lay on Will's desk, and pocketed it.

"That's all we need." He said, and the three walked back into the kitchen where Joyce was on the phone talking in a quiet, frustrated voice.

"No, that's not - yes, but I - let's talk about this later, alright? No. Okay. Bye." Joyce slammed the phone down in the phone jack that hung on the wall and sighed. 

"Who was that, mom?" Will said with worried curiosity. Joyce jumped like she had been shocked and gave him a grin that looked more like a grimace.

"No one, sweetie, go on outside." She waved them away and turned her back. Will looked at her for a second longer before walking out of the house. 

The air was humid and warm, but there was a small feeling in it that let everyone know that fall was on its way. The rain wasn't very strong, just a little more than a sprinkle. The ground was slightly muddy, but no one really bothered to care. Eleven held Mike's hand tightly but not to the point that it hurt while Will hung a bit behind them, and Mike found himself wishing that it was Will instead that was walking beside him. He didn't want to know or think about what it meant. All he knew is that it left a terrible thought in his brain and guilt that he thought would never go away. 

Eleven is his _girlfriend_ , and they've been through so much together that it seemed pointless to- to _break up_ now. Did Mike want to break up with her? This girl's father had just _died_ , and he didn't want to hurt her anymore than necessary. 

_I don't know what to do._

"Hey, Will," Mike said instead of continuing his train of thought. "Have you seen any neat places around town? I was asleep on the way here, so I didn't really see anything."

Mike got exactly what he wanted; Will to walk together with them without asking and making a big deal of it.

"I actually haven't left the house since we've been here." Will admitted sheepishly. Mike wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"Maybe one day we can go together." Mike said, and Will smiled softly at the leafy ground. Mike kept looking at Will, and to his surprise there was a faint red tint to his cheeks. 

It made him happier than it should've.

They walked deeper into the woods, listening and looking at all the trees. Eleven had let go of Mike's hand and instead began picking up random leaves and rocks that she deemed worthy and pocketed them. Mike wondered if she was starting a collection of some sort. Mike started to tell a story of how Lucas and Max broke up the seventh time and how Dustin somehow got a "job" working with Steve and Robin at Scoops Ahoy and he hadn't heard much of anything else from him. 

"How is Max?" Eleven asked. 

Honestly, Mike didn't really know. About two weeks after the Byers and Eleven moved out of Hawkins, Mike slowly started slipping his way out of the group. It wasn't on purpose. He stopped leaving his house and when they'd all come over there wasn't much to do. He figured they thought he was boring now since he started dealing with whatever he was dealing with. His mother mentioned depression. He didn't say all of that, of course.

"She seems okay. She misses you."

Eleven smiled. "Tell her I miss her, too."

Mike nodded and Eleven took his hand again. He didn't mind this time.

The sound of rushing water filled their ears and they headed towards it, still talking about random things like school and whatnot.

"The cookies are probably done by now." Will told them, and he was more than likely correct. The three started walking back towards the Byers' new home, Eleven still stopping every once in a while to collect something off the ground and sometimes even on a tree.

The rain had turned into a mist. Every so often Mike would check on Will to make sure he didn't have that look on his face that always let Mike know whether he was feeling left out or not. Will seemed content as he walked beside the couple, and Mike hoped it would stay that way.

They reached the home and threw their shoes off before walking inside. A strong, sweet chocolate smell filled the air and Mike saw a baking sheet of cookies sitting on the stove top. Joyce didn't seem to notice them. She was on the phone again. 

"I'll call you back later." Joyce didn't bother saying bye and hung up the phone quickly without another word. 

"The cookies are done. Not to brag, but they're _pretty_ good." She said, eating one herself with a smile on her face.

Will shook his head in a fond sort of way. They ran over to the cookies and grabbed one right off the tray, biting into them. 

Mike agreed with Joyce. They were _very_ good. Joyce had always been an excellent cook, almost better than his own mom. Almost.

They collapsed back into the couch in the living room. The TV was blaring a news station, and it seemed uninteresting but there wasn't anything else to do. Mike felt a bit like an intruder in this house, and he blamed it on not seeing either one of them in so long. Of course, a month isn't _that_ long. But so much had happened. 

He remembered Eleven almost getting dragged out of the ceiling by her foot. He remembered Will yelling at him about things that had been Mike's fault and how he had hurt him. He remembered feeling terrified that he might have lost him for good. 

Mike glanced over at the boy who was reclining back next to him, eating his cookie with a slight frown in his forehead. His eyes went to his lips, where melted chocolate stayed on the corner. 

"Will, you have some chocolate on your face."

"Huh?" Will whipped his head around. Apparently he had been in some sort of daze. "Oh." He smiled a little and wiped the wrong side of his mouth.

"No, uh, here. Let me," Mike used his thumb to get the chocolate off of his face, and felt his face start to burn. "There you go." He grinned.

"Thanks." Will looked down at his shoes, that same faint blush on his cheeks that Mike had seen earlier. 

Mike looked back at the TV, Eleven cuddled up next to him and Will beside him. 

He had never been more confused in his life.


End file.
